Vancouver, British Columbia—Canadian Mental Health Association’s (CMHA) BC Division today announces that it has been accredited under Imagine Canada’s national Standards Program. With the achievement, CMHA BC joins a growing community of more than 120 organizations dedicated to operational excellence.

The Standards Program is a Canada-wide set of shared standards for charities and nonprofits designed to strengthen practices in five fundamental areas: board governance; financial accountability and transparency; fundraising; staff management; and volunteer involvement.

“We are proud to display the Imagine Canada Trustmark as symbol of our commitment to excellence and continued improvement,” says Bev Gutray, CEO of CMHA BC. “We are thankful for and committed to maintaining our trust-based relationship with community partners, supporters and donors.”

To achieve accreditation, CMHA BC’s policies and procedures in the five areas of compliance were evaluated by a group of peers from the charitable sector. “It’s no small feat for an organization to earn Standards Program accreditation,” says Bruce MacDonald, President and CEO of Imagine Canada. “It’s a rigorous, peer-reviewed process that is meant to build public trust and confidence in the charitable sector. These organizations take accountability and operational transparency very seriously. We’re glad to have them on board.”

CMHA Cariboo/Chilcotin has also been accredited under Imagine Canada’s national Standards Program. CMHA is committed to achieving accreditation for all branches in BC by 2016.

About the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division
Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division (CMHA BC) is part of one of Canada’s most established national mental health charities. Our vision is mentally healthy people in a healthy society. As the nation-wide leader and champion for mental health, CMHA helps people access the community resources they need to build resilience and support recovery from mental illness or addiction. We do this by building capacity, influencing policy, providing services and developing resources. Each year, CMHA BC together with a network of 14 BC branches provides services and supports to over 140,000 British Columbians. Together we promote mental health for all and support the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness or addiction. To learn more visit www.cmha.bc.ca.